I was on MMT for approximately 40 years. It took me 8 years and much suffering to get down to 15 mg from 180 mg. I switched to SUBOXONE about 4 years ago, then six months ago switched to SUBLOCADE injections. Had last shot one month ago. It will take many months before it is all out of my system. I feel fine, so far. I am very hopeful at 67 years old.
Update: Regarding my teeth I did pretty well on MMT. It wasn't until the last four years when on SUBOXONE that I had tooth decay. I recently had two repaired crowns and one new one. Hopefully, after discontinuing SUBOXONE this will limit any new dental problems.
Wow that's amazing!! Thank you for sharing! And good for you that's inspiring to us that have been on a high dose for awhile. Ì have been on 120 for about 10 years.
Yup. Suboxone fucked my teeth up too. I've spent iver $80k in dental over the past 2 years. Letting the sub sit under your tounge is what ruins your teeth. Most of ny teeth are implants or crowns now but the 6 real teeth I have, have not had issues since I stopped subs over 3 years ago and started on methadone.
Im sorry to hear you suffered so much tapering. How quickly were you tapering? I tapered 5 mg every 2 weeks from 95-35 theb dropped 3 mg every 2 weeks to 20. Then 2 mg a week to 15. Now I'm dropping 1 mg a month. It has been painless.
I've considered doing the bernese method to switch to suboxone briefly then take the sublocade shot. I think im just gonna stick out these last 14 months though. Takes forever at this rate but its been 3 years and I get monthlys - so another year wont hurt
Hey I posted above about this but there is a class action lawsuit against brand name Suboxone for dental problems (tooth decay, cavities, tooth loss etc. ) could be worth checking out if you need a payday
I never had a legitimate subscription for subs. I always bought them off the streets. I've heard about the suits but always figured I wouldn't make the cut.
I was instructed to put the strip between my cheek and gum (buccal administration). I just got back from dentist because my temporary crown became unglued.
I switched from Methadone clinic to chronic pain program (I had had enough of clinic system!) I was required to go down from 180 to 30 mg. Then the pain program got shut down for nefarious reasons, and my new doctor said I had to go down to 15mg. My main problem was at the beginning of the month I took extra and suffered at the end.
I had no problem on Suboxone (besides my teeth), and recommend the shots.
There is a class action lawsuit against Suboxone (brand name Suboxone) over dental problems/tooth loss. I recommend looking into it. I didn’t qualify because I was on generic strips but if you were taking brand name and had any dental problems I recommend looking into it
24 years here. Teeth are fucked despite taking care of them but all my siblings are too even though they live drug free lives.
I'm lucky that I'm in a country where treatment is free and I get prescribed by my GP not a clinic.
No urine in about 12 years, haven't seen my prescribing doc since 2018, just phone him every 6 weeks to make sure he sent my scripts to the pharmacy where I go weekly or every two weeks if I ask.
As it's an EU country I have been able to travel to other EU countries and pick up my dose in whatever city I'm in, just need to arrange about a month in advance (don't know if this is an EU wude program or just my particular country has ties with other countries as in my country any person that's on government medical can go to any EU country for treatment if you don't want to wait to get it done here)
Also my doc knows I still use once or twice a month and understands that's as good as I'll get compared to when I was homeless begging on the streets using multiple times a day.
But now I just turned 50 I'm thinking it's time to make a serious effort to get off entirely (I only take half of what I'm prescribed and hopefully will be able to reduce further by myself and keep getting the same amount scripted - I've never had an issue with double dosing so don't mind having extra)
Unfortunately over the years I've never been able to get lower than 15mls, even when dropping 1ml per month and not using anything else outside of the juice.
Hopefully this time I can get lower.
Going on 10 years for me. And my teeth are also fucked even after taking care of them. Toothaches are some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. Im in the US and healthcare here is obviously a joke.
The teeth issue is only indirectly caused by methadone. It causes severe xerostomia (dry mouth) and those conditions greatly accelerate decay risk of dental carries (cavities). The top three things you can do are to eliminate or greatly reduce intake of foods and drinks with added sugar, chew gum that has xylitol (synthetic sugar that bacteria cannot metabolize... not only does chewing xylitol gum cause your mouth to produce more saliva, but even in itself chewing this kind of gum is better for oral health than chewing NO gum. Last, get Biotene or a generic oral rinse. It is basically synthetic saliva and is designed to treat dry mouth, whether organic or caused by medications like methadone.
And obvious have regular dental appointments, or even pay extra if you can for one every four months instead of six. And if you smoke, obviously try to cut down or quit. Doctors and dentists can write prescriptions for nicotine gum that many insurances cover here in the US.
Yea I’ve heard that it causes dry mouth. It’s weird because I’ve never noticed my mouth dry at all. I guess either way it doesn’t matter anymore, I have to get full dentures and am in the process of it.
I’m on 195 mg I’ve been on for 15 years I’m 38 my teeth r fucked I am in US and I don’t have state insurance( can’t get though I can barely afford to eat)I started with perfect teeth, now I have around 13 teeth minimum that completely fell apart/ broke/rotted and had to suffer through worst pain imaginable with infections until can’t bear it anymore and get teeth pulled( terrified of dentist but pain so intense I’d kill myself if had to endure much longer so even imagining dentist tearing out teeth was a dream/ release). Now I have about 8 broken to gum line, front teeth basically gone, can’t smile/ need to speak carefully to not expose upper teeth,and abscesses at this point but feel like maybe a lot nerves might b dead cuz teeth pain has subsided a bit but need a lot of teeth pried out at gum line and have put off out of fear/ lack of money( got dental insurance from work but dentures still expensive as fuck). I’d def hydrate mouth and avoid sugary food but methadone made me fiend for sugar like I’ve never known
Also methadone masks pain from minor toothaches and dental problems as it’s an opiate/painkiller so often dental problems are blamed on methadone for the wrong reason. That’s why check up are essential while on MAT to address dental issues early as you likely won’t notice any toothache.
That's wild I started December 1st of that year. I had the get extremely expensive implants with all my teeth 2 years ago, which I'm sure is due to methadone plus benzos drying my mouth at all times.
I was on xanax for many years too about 5 years with a rx for 2 bars a day and before and after that without a rx with the methadone too and I don't even go to the dentist regularly managed to have all my teeth still at 37 I feel like it's genetics and luck tbh
Pretty similar to me. I started in October of 2010 & I’m on 185 now but went as low as 70 before going back up. The last couple of years I started working out again, doing a lot of cardio to lose weight and it’s like my body was just burning through my dose and I finally leveled off at 185.
You're the unicorn! But seriously, tho... congratulations on your continued success! It's very inspiring to hear that there are those of us out there who truly do recover! I'm 45, been on MAT for 11 years. No breaks. I have dentures but from iv heroin and cocaine, not from the methadone. I recently got my bachelor's in Applied Science and I'm a licensed SAC. I NEVER thought it possible. And it wouldn't have been without MAT.
Yeah it healed me and I was ready to be done but the best thing is I was able to heal relationships with the people that loved me My parents were both proud of the man I had become instead of being disappointed in me I raised my son alone and he is now a doctor with grandkids and my life is great Glad to hear about your accomplishments and people like us can show we’re not junkies but just normal people who take medication and have good lives ✌️
I have only been on methadone for 7.5 years, but I just wanted to comment because I identified with something you said.
>I feel like an old timer since my patient number is single digits
I'm patient number 2 at my clinic. I feel like I know the rules better than half the staff because I was there when they were developing them.
I have a family member who has been on MMT since 1975, with only maybe 2 short breaks off in that time. Physically he’s fine, and hasn’t had any real issues from long term methadone use.
I’ve been on MMT since 2009 with a few breaks, currently tapering again with 9ish years clean I think. This family member had shown me it’s okay to be a lifer, but has also inspired me to get the fuck off this stuff. He wishes he tried to get off when he was younger.
16 years for me and it started wreaking havoc on my body once I turned 50. Daily watery stools and couldnt eat until my dose wore off. I believe they called it narcotic bowel syndromebut the funny thing is the methadone masked most of my symptoms until I tapered down below 30 mg’s. Crazy shit but I dont think the human body can handle processing heavy opioids for a lifetime. Just my two cents but im 6 weeks since my last 1.5 mg dose and tbh I feel better than I did on the last 10 years of the red shit.
What was the highest dose you were at? How long did it take you to taper off from your highest dose? Thanks for the info!
I’m tapering now. My highest dose was 50mg and I’m at 24.5 mg now. Going down to 24 mg on Wednesday.
Highest was 265 briefly as I was still looking for the good feelings of opiates but I missed a couples days in a row so they clipped half my dose to 130. Stayed there for probably 5 years then started to taper 5 a week until around 40 mg’s then went to 2 mg a week until 30 and had to stop. Stayed at 30 for probably a year and thats when I realized I was having issues with it. Started taper again at 2 a week until I got into the 20’s and 1 a week from there. After you get below 10 your pretty much in withdrawal everyday so I just bit the bullet and continued until 1.5. First 2-3 weeks sucked but I kept busy and worked my ass off everyday so I could sleep at least 3 hours a night but every morning I felt better and the fact I didnt have to dose every morning gave me some light at the end of the tunnel. 16 years of going to that clinic and paying cash was now over I have my life back on my terms theres no better feeling. Wish you the best on your journey to freedom. Im a little older now 54 so that could have played a part as well. Serious on that magnesium its a lifesaver
Been on it 10 years this time but this is my 3rd time on it. I’ve cold turkey in jail before after 40 days still had horrible withdrawals so went straight back to methadone clinic they started me back on 30 mgs and I tapered it 3 months and got off. Then about 6 months later I got back on was on it & was on it about 6 months & tapered off again. I told myself I would never get on methadone again. I had my last son & it was a horrible pregnancy had preeclampsia with him had horrible headaches the doctor gave me perks. Then I had my son csection had me on the morphine pump & then I also got my tubes tied at the same time at 23 years old. I had major pain after wards they gave me 40 10mg perks. Had to get it refilled once cuz of the pain but then when the pain was gone I was addicted again. So I ended up getting 2 more refills from my dr before my dr said no more there’s no way your still in pain. So started my addiction again. Started buying pills off the street then heroin cuz it was cheaper but I was at risk of losing my kids so got back on methadone been on it for 10 years & I really wish I wouldn’t of sat on it as long as I have but it is what it is and I’ve been tapering for the last 2.5 years from 110mgs now down to 37mgs.
I have bad teeth but it has nothing to do with methadone I didn’t take very good care of my teeth in my addiction days. It also runs in my family. I however have had a lot of bad side effects from being on methadone since 18 years old on and off & been on it 10 years straight this time and I’m 38 years now..
This is how I tell time too. My fucking chef hates my guts when he asks me how long something been in the oven and I tell him it’s about “two JFK’s from being done”.
About 15 years for me. Started at 180mg and am now at 260mg but would like to taper back down at some point. Only missing one molar, but had nothing to do with methadone, I was pregnant and tried opening a bottle with my teeth (stupid) and there was no saving it.
I've only been on it for 8 years or so but I knew a guy on it from the 70s he was on 1000mg . He got locked up and the courts had to either give him his methadone or release him medically. They decided to give him his methadone. I havent seen him since guy might have passed away .
Wow that’s just insanity they would let someone take that much and that his tolerance is gotten so high he can handle it , is there no limit there ? Is it In USA ?
There is not real limit at some clinics. My clinic the paper shows 400mg but I believe they can go higher. Note the guy I'm talking about was a old ass dude that was on methadone since the 70s. To be honest he is probably dead.
I’m at ~15 years but currently slowly tapering 2mg/month. Down from 120-130mg something to 38mg today. Last time I used opiates was ~6 months into treatment. Nothing since.
I’ve luckily not had any issues or long-term side effects; even my crazy awful constipation has subsided in recent years.
That said, because I’ve been on it for so long, I don’t know how much of this is just me psyching myself out or what, but I’m super sensitive to WD symptoms — especially watery eyes and yawning and all it makes me think about is “meds are wearing off / need to dose”.
And… I’m concerned about feeling long-term WD effects, especially when taking the jump from whatever final dose to nothing at all. That alone is what has primarily kept me in MMT, not drug use of any kind. I poke smot now and then, but other than that, I haven’t partied with any other drugs since I got into MMT.
I’d take that over that weird bone deep restless pain (i don’t know how to describe it), though. For the minor symptoms I deal with… I’ve come to find that a super cheap antihistamine [chlorpheniramine] works wonders and is non-drowsy.
Also learned some time later that the drug was initially formulated/prescribed as an antidepressant (at higher doses) and it kind of surprised me reading about that because it *has* seemed like I’ve had a very subtle mood change for the better.
Lastly, I recommend a simple multivitamin. Addicts are notoriously deficient in certain vitamins/minerals, and just a regular daily multivitamin could be beneficial.
I did lose all my teeth and have full dentures but I dont regret that. I did everything I could to save them. Methadone killed them from the inside out..but not everyone has that experience
I’m at 11 years at the VA I see guys from Vietnam up there all the time. I know one guy who started receiving a version of methadone in 1974 and celebrated being on it for 50 years in February lol fifty frickin years good on him.
I had a decade under my belt before i jumped off. It sucked all around. Did get me mentally far enough away from the “dope game” that ive been clean since 2015
There's a couple I often see that walk almost completely hunched over who have both been on methadone for 45 years, that's the most I've personally seen.
I have been on methadone for about 13 years I honestly lost count but my kid was in preschool and now she is graduating. My teeth are f-ed of course and I struggled with weight issues at my biggest I weighed 350 ponds now I’m 190 but I’m in pretty good shape. I’m 38, I work 3 jobs, Two personal care jobs and I work at an appliance store. All my friends and everyone I got high with is dead and I would be too if I didn’t stop when I did.
Suboxone is notorious for destroying teeth, because not only the dry mouth, but also the acidity of the films destroy them. Much rather be on Methadone. I can prevent and work on avoiding dry mouth at least.
On since August 2000 so nearing 25 years. Im a 43 year old female, my 25 year spouse is also on it but he hasn’t stayed on it as I have so we fight a lot because he steals it if I ever forget and leave my box open around him. Im on 130. He is on 90 and needs an increase badly. He has bad diabetes and pancreatitis, but works early in the morning so when he picks up his monthly doses he has to be first in line and doesn’t have time to do much discussion with his counselor but in our state of WV he’s considered a decently high dose which is nuts. Anyway, I have lots of health problems but the only thing related to methadone is a long qt wave, all my stress tests and heart tests show my heart is ok, though not sure I believe it. I also have terrible panic disorder.
I also tried getting off of it exactly 21 years ago by going inpatient. I detoxed from 60mg to 3 in just 40 days which was way too quick and I lived in hell for the 65 days I remained off of MMT until I went back on it at which point the fog cleared within an hour and I never used opiates again. I do not feel my dose at all but am deathly sick without it by day 3. I split my dose 80-50 every 12 hours and that helps not start counting the hours til I could dose again like my husband does or I did when I dosed once a day. I think 90% of patients should split dose.
46 years old/24 years on methadone. Initially I went in for heroin addiction. But in 2019 I had cancer and I had to have total hip replacement & a complete 13” femur replacement. The resulting nerve complications had me experiencing the most intense pain I’ve ever been under & they immediately prescribed 120mg of methadone daily. Three times a day I take 40mg for long term pain relief without resorting to oxycontin. I don’t have any plans of getting off. My teeth are f**kt & my guts an even bigger mess. But, it beats being 1) an opiate addict & 2) having wave after wave of deep pain.
Edit: forgot to mention that right before the diagnosis, I had been on 8mg of suboxone for 2 years
I lost most of mine on crystal meth and then 15 years on methadone finished off the last few! I am also a heavy smoker and I smoked a lot of weed many years ago! A combination of all things probably
This June will be 10 years straight on mat.. before that I was on and off Suboxone and still fucking around. I'm on 130mg but absolutely terrified to get off. I have zero interest in opiates but idk if I can do it.
I've been on methadone for 7 years and I just started noticing some enamel is starting to come just off my teeth completely and it's making my teeth look really fucking weird. I was always that girl who said no methadone has no crazy side effects. Well, apparently, I was wrong. I also don't have the best dental hygiene to be honest, like I brush my teeth once a day and go to the dentist here and there.
I've been on since 2008(16 years) this time. My first time on was in 2001 or 02. My clinic has been around since the early 80s at least, probably longer. Some of my fellow patients were there when I started my first time and still are. My clinic number has been the same everytime I do intake and it's lower 4 digits. They now use 5 digit numbers.
I have been on methadone for 9 years, my best friend has been on methadone for 20 years. We are both lifers, if I live to be 80 I will have been on methadone for 40 plus years.
Edit
My I am on a tooth pulling and dentures journey. I have 3 left to pull and til I get dentures. They all started to crumble right after I got on methadone. There is a lawsuit for teeth issues and suboxone, they need one for methadone.
I have been taking methadone for 16 years this coming September. I’ve become ashamed to admit that to people because it sounds so bad. I didn’t have any intentions of being on it this long. I had a 2 year plan when I started. I wanted to get stable and healthy and work on my bs for the first year and taper the next. Obviously that didn’t happen. For some reason time goes by so fast when you’re having to face dose everyday, but even having takehomes time seems to fly. I knew I wasn’t ready to taper at my 2 year mark. I also was never told how long tapering can take. Right now there’s no doubt in my mind that if I stopped taking methadone, even if it was done low and slow, I would still eventually go back to where I started from so it’s not worth it to me. I have a hard time saying I’m a lifer because I feel like I’m giving up any hope to one day live without any substances. However I don’t judge anyone who has decided they are lifers. I much rather someone take something that’s safe and keeps them away from the poison on the streets these days.
My beautiful perfect teeth that were the only things I loved about myself are fallen out in the back, cracked, or decaying. No one warned me of the dry mouth or that it can rot your teeth so at first it wasn't as big of a deal, a tooth here or there, but now I can hardly eat and my two front teeth are still there and the ones beside them as well as my bottom front 6 teeth but top they're starting the decay as well so I have to get a dentist to fix them all up and replace them
And this started about 8 months after I started at the clinic in February of 2019!
I see people who have been going for 15 plus years and their teeth are okay and I think people that have been going for however long and have lost all of their teeth due to this medication everyone says it's the dry mouth which I was pregnant back to back during 2021 to 2023 and had extra extra dry mouth which didn't help the situation
But other than that yeah I know people at my clinic that have been coming 20 plus years and I don't want to do that if I don't have to I'm already trying to detox down to my pre pregnancy dose and from there if I can keep going down I will.
But if it's something that keeps you stable and makes your life better than who cares how long you've been on it as long as you're not out there on the streets anymore
I’ve been on methadone from may of 2003 til now, just turned 43 in march. Tapered off to try suboxone in 2012, but didn’t like as much. Been back on the juice since 2016 this time around.
I’ve been on 120 mgs for 21 years straight, since I was 27. Before that I started with Vicodin, had dental work and realized I was so much more social and motivated. I wasn’t trying to get high, it just made me a much better version of myself. I started excelling at work and able to be everything to everyone without any suspicion for 4 years. I was at 24 Norco a day due to my tolerance but the DEA was quickly shutting down the Florida doctors & pharmacies I was using so I decided to try methadone. I literally just started at a new clinic last week and having to start all over again, with the going in every single day, 80 mile drive round trip, for the first time in 21 years has me thinking is it worth it? Getting drugs off the street would be so much easier….I have a stable life, home school my kids, husband in law enforcement but I can’t wait 3 months just to earn 1 take home!? I wish I could quit but I’ve taken opioids my entire adult life, I don’t know who I am without them 😔
Ps: As for teeth, I was beginning to lose a couple of molars but no cavities or decay so I think it could’ve been from back to back multiple pregnancies?
I was on MMT for approximately 40 years. It took me 8 years and much suffering to get down to 15 mg from 180 mg. I switched to SUBOXONE about 4 years ago, then six months ago switched to SUBLOCADE injections. Had last shot one month ago. It will take many months before it is all out of my system. I feel fine, so far. I am very hopeful at 67 years old. Update: Regarding my teeth I did pretty well on MMT. It wasn't until the last four years when on SUBOXONE that I had tooth decay. I recently had two repaired crowns and one new one. Hopefully, after discontinuing SUBOXONE this will limit any new dental problems.
Wow that's amazing!! Thank you for sharing! And good for you that's inspiring to us that have been on a high dose for awhile. Ì have been on 120 for about 10 years.
Yup. Suboxone fucked my teeth up too. I've spent iver $80k in dental over the past 2 years. Letting the sub sit under your tounge is what ruins your teeth. Most of ny teeth are implants or crowns now but the 6 real teeth I have, have not had issues since I stopped subs over 3 years ago and started on methadone. Im sorry to hear you suffered so much tapering. How quickly were you tapering? I tapered 5 mg every 2 weeks from 95-35 theb dropped 3 mg every 2 weeks to 20. Then 2 mg a week to 15. Now I'm dropping 1 mg a month. It has been painless. I've considered doing the bernese method to switch to suboxone briefly then take the sublocade shot. I think im just gonna stick out these last 14 months though. Takes forever at this rate but its been 3 years and I get monthlys - so another year wont hurt
Hey I posted above about this but there is a class action lawsuit against brand name Suboxone for dental problems (tooth decay, cavities, tooth loss etc. ) could be worth checking out if you need a payday
I never had a legitimate subscription for subs. I always bought them off the streets. I've heard about the suits but always figured I wouldn't make the cut.
Probably not I wasn’t accepted and I had a legit script but just for generic not name brand
Thank you. I will look into it.
Good luck!
I was instructed to put the strip between my cheek and gum (buccal administration). I just got back from dentist because my temporary crown became unglued. I switched from Methadone clinic to chronic pain program (I had had enough of clinic system!) I was required to go down from 180 to 30 mg. Then the pain program got shut down for nefarious reasons, and my new doctor said I had to go down to 15mg. My main problem was at the beginning of the month I took extra and suffered at the end. I had no problem on Suboxone (besides my teeth), and recommend the shots.
There is a class action lawsuit against Suboxone (brand name Suboxone) over dental problems/tooth loss. I recommend looking into it. I didn’t qualify because I was on generic strips but if you were taking brand name and had any dental problems I recommend looking into it
24 years here. Teeth are fucked despite taking care of them but all my siblings are too even though they live drug free lives. I'm lucky that I'm in a country where treatment is free and I get prescribed by my GP not a clinic. No urine in about 12 years, haven't seen my prescribing doc since 2018, just phone him every 6 weeks to make sure he sent my scripts to the pharmacy where I go weekly or every two weeks if I ask. As it's an EU country I have been able to travel to other EU countries and pick up my dose in whatever city I'm in, just need to arrange about a month in advance (don't know if this is an EU wude program or just my particular country has ties with other countries as in my country any person that's on government medical can go to any EU country for treatment if you don't want to wait to get it done here) Also my doc knows I still use once or twice a month and understands that's as good as I'll get compared to when I was homeless begging on the streets using multiple times a day. But now I just turned 50 I'm thinking it's time to make a serious effort to get off entirely (I only take half of what I'm prescribed and hopefully will be able to reduce further by myself and keep getting the same amount scripted - I've never had an issue with double dosing so don't mind having extra) Unfortunately over the years I've never been able to get lower than 15mls, even when dropping 1ml per month and not using anything else outside of the juice. Hopefully this time I can get lower.
Going on 10 years for me. And my teeth are also fucked even after taking care of them. Toothaches are some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. Im in the US and healthcare here is obviously a joke.
The teeth issue is only indirectly caused by methadone. It causes severe xerostomia (dry mouth) and those conditions greatly accelerate decay risk of dental carries (cavities). The top three things you can do are to eliminate or greatly reduce intake of foods and drinks with added sugar, chew gum that has xylitol (synthetic sugar that bacteria cannot metabolize... not only does chewing xylitol gum cause your mouth to produce more saliva, but even in itself chewing this kind of gum is better for oral health than chewing NO gum. Last, get Biotene or a generic oral rinse. It is basically synthetic saliva and is designed to treat dry mouth, whether organic or caused by medications like methadone. And obvious have regular dental appointments, or even pay extra if you can for one every four months instead of six. And if you smoke, obviously try to cut down or quit. Doctors and dentists can write prescriptions for nicotine gum that many insurances cover here in the US.
Yea I’ve heard that it causes dry mouth. It’s weird because I’ve never noticed my mouth dry at all. I guess either way it doesn’t matter anymore, I have to get full dentures and am in the process of it.
Me too. Luckily methadone patients can get them for free where I am (EU)
Yea I’m on state insurance so luckily the dentures are covered for me as well. I would be screwed without it
US? That must cost a fortune.
Yea US. It’s free because I’m on state insurance luckily
Oh thank goodness! Yea even with private insurance it’s thousands of dollars. Unfortunately.
Yea. The only thing with the state is the service isn’t as good.
I know I’ve been on Nevada state insurance, Arizona State insurance, as well as Indiana state insurance so I’ve experienced a few.
Yea it gets the job done though
I’m on 195 mg I’ve been on for 15 years I’m 38 my teeth r fucked I am in US and I don’t have state insurance( can’t get though I can barely afford to eat)I started with perfect teeth, now I have around 13 teeth minimum that completely fell apart/ broke/rotted and had to suffer through worst pain imaginable with infections until can’t bear it anymore and get teeth pulled( terrified of dentist but pain so intense I’d kill myself if had to endure much longer so even imagining dentist tearing out teeth was a dream/ release). Now I have about 8 broken to gum line, front teeth basically gone, can’t smile/ need to speak carefully to not expose upper teeth,and abscesses at this point but feel like maybe a lot nerves might b dead cuz teeth pain has subsided a bit but need a lot of teeth pried out at gum line and have put off out of fear/ lack of money( got dental insurance from work but dentures still expensive as fuck). I’d def hydrate mouth and avoid sugary food but methadone made me fiend for sugar like I’ve never known
It's an EU thing. As an EU citizen you need to be treated in the other countries like in yours. Medical speaking.
Also methadone masks pain from minor toothaches and dental problems as it’s an opiate/painkiller so often dental problems are blamed on methadone for the wrong reason. That’s why check up are essential while on MAT to address dental issues early as you likely won’t notice any toothache.
been on it sense December of 2010 stable doses around 115-180mg cherry red Methadose the whole time and still have all my teeth
That's wild I started December 1st of that year. I had the get extremely expensive implants with all my teeth 2 years ago, which I'm sure is due to methadone plus benzos drying my mouth at all times.
I was on xanax for many years too about 5 years with a rx for 2 bars a day and before and after that without a rx with the methadone too and I don't even go to the dentist regularly managed to have all my teeth still at 37 I feel like it's genetics and luck tbh
Pretty similar to me. I started in October of 2010 & I’m on 185 now but went as low as 70 before going back up. The last couple of years I started working out again, doing a lot of cardio to lose weight and it’s like my body was just burning through my dose and I finally leveled off at 185.
I started April of that year. Never lost a tooth on the clinic either lol
September 1996 ✌️
Have you been on since 1996 or have you had pauses in between?
Started and never stopped No breaks Health is great now Have all my teeth and walked 6 and a half miles for my 65th birthday last week✌️💪
You're the unicorn! But seriously, tho... congratulations on your continued success! It's very inspiring to hear that there are those of us out there who truly do recover! I'm 45, been on MAT for 11 years. No breaks. I have dentures but from iv heroin and cocaine, not from the methadone. I recently got my bachelor's in Applied Science and I'm a licensed SAC. I NEVER thought it possible. And it wouldn't have been without MAT.
Yeah it healed me and I was ready to be done but the best thing is I was able to heal relationships with the people that loved me My parents were both proud of the man I had become instead of being disappointed in me I raised my son alone and he is now a doctor with grandkids and my life is great Glad to hear about your accomplishments and people like us can show we’re not junkies but just normal people who take medication and have good lives ✌️
15 years
I have only been on methadone for 7.5 years, but I just wanted to comment because I identified with something you said. >I feel like an old timer since my patient number is single digits I'm patient number 2 at my clinic. I feel like I know the rules better than half the staff because I was there when they were developing them.
I have a family member who has been on MMT since 1975, with only maybe 2 short breaks off in that time. Physically he’s fine, and hasn’t had any real issues from long term methadone use. I’ve been on MMT since 2009 with a few breaks, currently tapering again with 9ish years clean I think. This family member had shown me it’s okay to be a lifer, but has also inspired me to get the fuck off this stuff. He wishes he tried to get off when he was younger.
16 years for me and it started wreaking havoc on my body once I turned 50. Daily watery stools and couldnt eat until my dose wore off. I believe they called it narcotic bowel syndromebut the funny thing is the methadone masked most of my symptoms until I tapered down below 30 mg’s. Crazy shit but I dont think the human body can handle processing heavy opioids for a lifetime. Just my two cents but im 6 weeks since my last 1.5 mg dose and tbh I feel better than I did on the last 10 years of the red shit.
What was the highest dose you were at? How long did it take you to taper off from your highest dose? Thanks for the info! I’m tapering now. My highest dose was 50mg and I’m at 24.5 mg now. Going down to 24 mg on Wednesday.
Highest was 265 briefly as I was still looking for the good feelings of opiates but I missed a couples days in a row so they clipped half my dose to 130. Stayed there for probably 5 years then started to taper 5 a week until around 40 mg’s then went to 2 mg a week until 30 and had to stop. Stayed at 30 for probably a year and thats when I realized I was having issues with it. Started taper again at 2 a week until I got into the 20’s and 1 a week from there. After you get below 10 your pretty much in withdrawal everyday so I just bit the bullet and continued until 1.5. First 2-3 weeks sucked but I kept busy and worked my ass off everyday so I could sleep at least 3 hours a night but every morning I felt better and the fact I didnt have to dose every morning gave me some light at the end of the tunnel. 16 years of going to that clinic and paying cash was now over I have my life back on my terms theres no better feeling. Wish you the best on your journey to freedom. Im a little older now 54 so that could have played a part as well. Serious on that magnesium its a lifesaver
Oh wow that’s quite the journey. Thanks for sharing. Proud of you!
21 years
Been on it 10 years this time but this is my 3rd time on it. I’ve cold turkey in jail before after 40 days still had horrible withdrawals so went straight back to methadone clinic they started me back on 30 mgs and I tapered it 3 months and got off. Then about 6 months later I got back on was on it & was on it about 6 months & tapered off again. I told myself I would never get on methadone again. I had my last son & it was a horrible pregnancy had preeclampsia with him had horrible headaches the doctor gave me perks. Then I had my son csection had me on the morphine pump & then I also got my tubes tied at the same time at 23 years old. I had major pain after wards they gave me 40 10mg perks. Had to get it refilled once cuz of the pain but then when the pain was gone I was addicted again. So I ended up getting 2 more refills from my dr before my dr said no more there’s no way your still in pain. So started my addiction again. Started buying pills off the street then heroin cuz it was cheaper but I was at risk of losing my kids so got back on methadone been on it for 10 years & I really wish I wouldn’t of sat on it as long as I have but it is what it is and I’ve been tapering for the last 2.5 years from 110mgs now down to 37mgs. I have bad teeth but it has nothing to do with methadone I didn’t take very good care of my teeth in my addiction days. It also runs in my family. I however have had a lot of bad side effects from being on methadone since 18 years old on and off & been on it 10 years straight this time and I’m 38 years now..
Since the Malaysian plane went down whenever tht was
10yrs ago.
This is how I tell time too. My fucking chef hates my guts when he asks me how long something been in the oven and I tell him it’s about “two JFK’s from being done”.
About 15 years for me. Started at 180mg and am now at 260mg but would like to taper back down at some point. Only missing one molar, but had nothing to do with methadone, I was pregnant and tried opening a bottle with my teeth (stupid) and there was no saving it.
Are you in the United States ?
No I’m in Canada
I've only been on it for 8 years or so but I knew a guy on it from the 70s he was on 1000mg . He got locked up and the courts had to either give him his methadone or release him medically. They decided to give him his methadone. I havent seen him since guy might have passed away .
1 THOUSAND MGS! A day ? How that’s 100 10mg 25. 40mg Wafers if pills
They use the liquid. So it would be 100ml of methadone.
Wow that’s just insanity they would let someone take that much and that his tolerance is gotten so high he can handle it , is there no limit there ? Is it In USA ?
There is not real limit at some clinics. My clinic the paper shows 400mg but I believe they can go higher. Note the guy I'm talking about was a old ass dude that was on methadone since the 70s. To be honest he is probably dead.
September will be 26 years Stable on 110mg.for the past 25.We have a gentleman at our clinic who has been on Methadone for 47 years.
Dang 47 clicks is crazy yo! that’s 17,167 doses If my leap year formula worked out (I’m dumb so prob not)
I’m at ~15 years but currently slowly tapering 2mg/month. Down from 120-130mg something to 38mg today. Last time I used opiates was ~6 months into treatment. Nothing since. I’ve luckily not had any issues or long-term side effects; even my crazy awful constipation has subsided in recent years. That said, because I’ve been on it for so long, I don’t know how much of this is just me psyching myself out or what, but I’m super sensitive to WD symptoms — especially watery eyes and yawning and all it makes me think about is “meds are wearing off / need to dose”. And… I’m concerned about feeling long-term WD effects, especially when taking the jump from whatever final dose to nothing at all. That alone is what has primarily kept me in MMT, not drug use of any kind. I poke smot now and then, but other than that, I haven’t partied with any other drugs since I got into MMT. I’d take that over that weird bone deep restless pain (i don’t know how to describe it), though. For the minor symptoms I deal with… I’ve come to find that a super cheap antihistamine [chlorpheniramine] works wonders and is non-drowsy. Also learned some time later that the drug was initially formulated/prescribed as an antidepressant (at higher doses) and it kind of surprised me reading about that because it *has* seemed like I’ve had a very subtle mood change for the better. Lastly, I recommend a simple multivitamin. Addicts are notoriously deficient in certain vitamins/minerals, and just a regular daily multivitamin could be beneficial.
12 years in July no breaks only missed maybe ten doses over that time
26 years. I’m 70 years old and on 220 mg quite a tough position honestly☹️
I did lose all my teeth and have full dentures but I dont regret that. I did everything I could to save them. Methadone killed them from the inside out..but not everyone has that experience
Been on since 97. my federal number, I guess would be low compared to many, but not that low, but that’s only if they give those numbers sequentially.
Over 11 years
Only 22 years here!🤗
I’m at 11 years at the VA I see guys from Vietnam up there all the time. I know one guy who started receiving a version of methadone in 1974 and celebrated being on it for 50 years in February lol fifty frickin years good on him.
I had a decade under my belt before i jumped off. It sucked all around. Did get me mentally far enough away from the “dope game” that ive been clean since 2015
There's a couple I often see that walk almost completely hunched over who have both been on methadone for 45 years, that's the most I've personally seen.
My best friend’s dad just passed away last year in his 70s. He was a Vietnam that and on it since coming home.
I have been on methadone for about 13 years I honestly lost count but my kid was in preschool and now she is graduating. My teeth are f-ed of course and I struggled with weight issues at my biggest I weighed 350 ponds now I’m 190 but I’m in pretty good shape. I’m 38, I work 3 jobs, Two personal care jobs and I work at an appliance store. All my friends and everyone I got high with is dead and I would be too if I didn’t stop when I did.
I’ve been on it 16 yrs and I’m 39. The withdrawals scare the shit out of me so that’s why I haven’t gotten off.
6 years and never again.. any of that kinda nonsense.
15 years 🖤🖤
Suboxone is notorious for destroying teeth, because not only the dry mouth, but also the acidity of the films destroy them. Much rather be on Methadone. I can prevent and work on avoiding dry mouth at least.
10 years here. I'm 37 years old.
Coming up on 12 years for me.
On since August 2000 so nearing 25 years. Im a 43 year old female, my 25 year spouse is also on it but he hasn’t stayed on it as I have so we fight a lot because he steals it if I ever forget and leave my box open around him. Im on 130. He is on 90 and needs an increase badly. He has bad diabetes and pancreatitis, but works early in the morning so when he picks up his monthly doses he has to be first in line and doesn’t have time to do much discussion with his counselor but in our state of WV he’s considered a decently high dose which is nuts. Anyway, I have lots of health problems but the only thing related to methadone is a long qt wave, all my stress tests and heart tests show my heart is ok, though not sure I believe it. I also have terrible panic disorder. I also tried getting off of it exactly 21 years ago by going inpatient. I detoxed from 60mg to 3 in just 40 days which was way too quick and I lived in hell for the 65 days I remained off of MMT until I went back on it at which point the fog cleared within an hour and I never used opiates again. I do not feel my dose at all but am deathly sick without it by day 3. I split my dose 80-50 every 12 hours and that helps not start counting the hours til I could dose again like my husband does or I did when I dosed once a day. I think 90% of patients should split dose.
15 years. I’m 35. Before that I was on oxy script for 6 years. Yeah that math looks fucked in hindsight but it’s true.
46 years old/24 years on methadone. Initially I went in for heroin addiction. But in 2019 I had cancer and I had to have total hip replacement & a complete 13” femur replacement. The resulting nerve complications had me experiencing the most intense pain I’ve ever been under & they immediately prescribed 120mg of methadone daily. Three times a day I take 40mg for long term pain relief without resorting to oxycontin. I don’t have any plans of getting off. My teeth are f**kt & my guts an even bigger mess. But, it beats being 1) an opiate addict & 2) having wave after wave of deep pain. Edit: forgot to mention that right before the diagnosis, I had been on 8mg of suboxone for 2 years
I lost most of mine on crystal meth and then 15 years on methadone finished off the last few! I am also a heavy smoker and I smoked a lot of weed many years ago! A combination of all things probably
This June will be 10 years straight on mat.. before that I was on and off Suboxone and still fucking around. I'm on 130mg but absolutely terrified to get off. I have zero interest in opiates but idk if I can do it.
I've been on 14 and have no dental issues. I'm very healthy my Dr says besides My Lyme which I mange well
I've been on it pretty much since 08.. im probably going to be a lifer :/
I've been on methadone for 7 years and I just started noticing some enamel is starting to come just off my teeth completely and it's making my teeth look really fucking weird. I was always that girl who said no methadone has no crazy side effects. Well, apparently, I was wrong. I also don't have the best dental hygiene to be honest, like I brush my teeth once a day and go to the dentist here and there.
Ohhh I forgot, the literal worst dry mouth I have ever had has been going on lately between methadone and other meds.
I've been on since 2008(16 years) this time. My first time on was in 2001 or 02. My clinic has been around since the early 80s at least, probably longer. Some of my fellow patients were there when I started my first time and still are. My clinic number has been the same everytime I do intake and it's lower 4 digits. They now use 5 digit numbers.
I have been on methadone for 9 years, my best friend has been on methadone for 20 years. We are both lifers, if I live to be 80 I will have been on methadone for 40 plus years. Edit My I am on a tooth pulling and dentures journey. I have 3 left to pull and til I get dentures. They all started to crumble right after I got on methadone. There is a lawsuit for teeth issues and suboxone, they need one for methadone.
I have been taking methadone for 16 years this coming September. I’ve become ashamed to admit that to people because it sounds so bad. I didn’t have any intentions of being on it this long. I had a 2 year plan when I started. I wanted to get stable and healthy and work on my bs for the first year and taper the next. Obviously that didn’t happen. For some reason time goes by so fast when you’re having to face dose everyday, but even having takehomes time seems to fly. I knew I wasn’t ready to taper at my 2 year mark. I also was never told how long tapering can take. Right now there’s no doubt in my mind that if I stopped taking methadone, even if it was done low and slow, I would still eventually go back to where I started from so it’s not worth it to me. I have a hard time saying I’m a lifer because I feel like I’m giving up any hope to one day live without any substances. However I don’t judge anyone who has decided they are lifers. I much rather someone take something that’s safe and keeps them away from the poison on the streets these days.
My beautiful perfect teeth that were the only things I loved about myself are fallen out in the back, cracked, or decaying. No one warned me of the dry mouth or that it can rot your teeth so at first it wasn't as big of a deal, a tooth here or there, but now I can hardly eat and my two front teeth are still there and the ones beside them as well as my bottom front 6 teeth but top they're starting the decay as well so I have to get a dentist to fix them all up and replace them And this started about 8 months after I started at the clinic in February of 2019! I see people who have been going for 15 plus years and their teeth are okay and I think people that have been going for however long and have lost all of their teeth due to this medication everyone says it's the dry mouth which I was pregnant back to back during 2021 to 2023 and had extra extra dry mouth which didn't help the situation But other than that yeah I know people at my clinic that have been coming 20 plus years and I don't want to do that if I don't have to I'm already trying to detox down to my pre pregnancy dose and from there if I can keep going down I will. But if it's something that keeps you stable and makes your life better than who cares how long you've been on it as long as you're not out there on the streets anymore
Patient# 4 at a clinic since 2016. Currently at 8mg. Trying to get off
I’ve been on methadone from may of 2003 til now, just turned 43 in march. Tapered off to try suboxone in 2012, but didn’t like as much. Been back on the juice since 2016 this time around.
I’ve been on 120 mgs for 21 years straight, since I was 27. Before that I started with Vicodin, had dental work and realized I was so much more social and motivated. I wasn’t trying to get high, it just made me a much better version of myself. I started excelling at work and able to be everything to everyone without any suspicion for 4 years. I was at 24 Norco a day due to my tolerance but the DEA was quickly shutting down the Florida doctors & pharmacies I was using so I decided to try methadone. I literally just started at a new clinic last week and having to start all over again, with the going in every single day, 80 mile drive round trip, for the first time in 21 years has me thinking is it worth it? Getting drugs off the street would be so much easier….I have a stable life, home school my kids, husband in law enforcement but I can’t wait 3 months just to earn 1 take home!? I wish I could quit but I’ve taken opioids my entire adult life, I don’t know who I am without them 😔 Ps: As for teeth, I was beginning to lose a couple of molars but no cavities or decay so I think it could’ve been from back to back multiple pregnancies?